Jack of Hearts
by Sandra Owens
Series: Aces & Eights, #1
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Release Date: February 14, 2017
Alex Gentry doesn’t scare easily. Working as an undercover FBI agent in the biker bar he and his brothers co-own, he hangs with deadly criminals in order to gather information. Danger is just part of the family business. But one thing has him terrified: his attraction to Madison Parker.
Madison is the cousin of Ramon Alonzo, son and second in command to a notorious drug lord Alex is trying to bust. Alex has befriended Ramon as part of his cover, and Madison has unknowingly become his informant. Falling for her could risk this case—and both their lives.
All Madison wants is to get her new bookstore business off the ground, and for her creepy cousin Ramon—to whom she’s unfortunately indebted—to leave her alone. If she could only stop fantasizing about his mysterious new friend, Alex…
As the Alonzo cartel investigation heats up, so does their relationship. But will the secrets they’re keeping tear them apart—or get them both killed?
Alex rode back to Aces & Eights sans helmet, something he’d never done before. But he needed the cool night wind on his face and whipping through his hair after being so close to Madison. There had to be somewhere else they could meet, a place that didn’t have both her and a bed in it.
His brain had gone on vacation when he’d agreed to teach her self-defense. That would mean touching her. Just being close to her tonight, he’d felt her heat, inhaled her lemony scent, and wanted nothing more than to put that bed of hers to good use. If he followed through on the promise of showing Madison how to protect herself, he’d definitely have to find a place without a bed anywhere near the premises. Of course, that would still leave the floor, up against the wall, atop a desk if there was one . . .
He took the corner hard, scraping the bottom of the foot peg across the asphalt, the grinding noise echoing in the night. Throttling up, he tried to outrun thoughts of a woman with cat-green eyes.
It worked for a few minutes as he raced down the empty street, but then she crept back into his mind. He couldn’t tell her he was FBI for fear that she would slip and say something around Ramon. Nor was he entirely certain that she was clueless about the family business and what Ramon and his father were involved in.
Worse, he was the lead on an operation to take down part of her family. When that came about and she realized he had helped make it happen, she would hate him. That trust in him shining so brightly in her eyes would vanish when her cousin and uncle were hauled away in handcuffs.
Better not to know what he might be missing, so no kissing her. Ever. No doing any of the things he’d fantasized about since he’d first met her. She was a source for information and nothing more. When he returned to the bar, he would tell his brothers about her. Once she wasn’t his personal secret, his fascination with her would diminish. Satisfied he had his priorities straight, Alex eased back on the throttle and turned the bike toward Aces & Eights.
“When you gonna tell us who your informant is?” Nate asked.
Court brought three ice-cold bottles of beer to the table, sliding into the booth next to Alex. “Yeah, you’ve never been so secretive before. What gives, bro?”
Good question. Alex enjoyed the end of the day when, after locking up, he and his brothers would have a beer together before heading home. Sometimes they’d have some laughs over something Spider or some other dude had done, but usually they’d go over their progress on building a case against the Alonzo family. With Ramon MIA, things had stalled a bit.
Although he’d decided to level with them about Madison Parker, Alex hesitated, that damn need to protect her surfacing again. If his brothers knew about her, they’d push him to use her to the fullest extent. Although he would do that, he wanted to do it his way. Hell if he knew exactly what that way was. There was a black hole in his mind, one he wanted to fill in before he gave his brothers Madison’s name. He also hoped to ascertain her innocence first, if she was innocent.
Being FBI agents, they were naturally suspicious of anyone with connections to the bad guys. Once he knew which side of the line Madison was on, and if it was the right one, he could better argue her case. If it turned out he was wrong about her, then she’d go down with her uncle and cousin. Yeah, he needed to know more about Madison Parker before he turned over her name.
His brain had gone on vacation when he’d agreed to teach her self-defense. That would mean touching her. Just being close to her tonight, he’d felt her heat, inhaled her lemony scent, and wanted nothing more than to put that bed of hers to good use. If he followed through on the promise of showing Madison how to protect herself, he’d definitely have to find a place without a bed anywhere near the premises. Of course, that would still leave the floor, up against the wall, atop a desk if there was one . . .
He took the corner hard, scraping the bottom of the foot peg across the asphalt, the grinding noise echoing in the night. Throttling up, he tried to outrun thoughts of a woman with cat-green eyes.
It worked for a few minutes as he raced down the empty street, but then she crept back into his mind. He couldn’t tell her he was FBI for fear that she would slip and say something around Ramon. Nor was he entirely certain that she was clueless about the family business and what Ramon and his father were involved in.
Worse, he was the lead on an operation to take down part of her family. When that came about and she realized he had helped make it happen, she would hate him. That trust in him shining so brightly in her eyes would vanish when her cousin and uncle were hauled away in handcuffs.
Better not to know what he might be missing, so no kissing her. Ever. No doing any of the things he’d fantasized about since he’d first met her. She was a source for information and nothing more. When he returned to the bar, he would tell his brothers about her. Once she wasn’t his personal secret, his fascination with her would diminish. Satisfied he had his priorities straight, Alex eased back on the throttle and turned the bike toward Aces & Eights.
***
“When you gonna tell us who your informant is?” Nate asked.
Court brought three ice-cold bottles of beer to the table, sliding into the booth next to Alex. “Yeah, you’ve never been so secretive before. What gives, bro?”
Good question. Alex enjoyed the end of the day when, after locking up, he and his brothers would have a beer together before heading home. Sometimes they’d have some laughs over something Spider or some other dude had done, but usually they’d go over their progress on building a case against the Alonzo family. With Ramon MIA, things had stalled a bit.
Although he’d decided to level with them about Madison Parker, Alex hesitated, that damn need to protect her surfacing again. If his brothers knew about her, they’d push him to use her to the fullest extent. Although he would do that, he wanted to do it his way. Hell if he knew exactly what that way was. There was a black hole in his mind, one he wanted to fill in before he gave his brothers Madison’s name. He also hoped to ascertain her innocence first, if she was innocent.
Being FBI agents, they were naturally suspicious of anyone with connections to the bad guys. Once he knew which side of the line Madison was on, and if it was the right one, he could better argue her case. If it turned out he was wrong about her, then she’d go down with her uncle and cousin. Yeah, he needed to know more about Madison Parker before he turned over her name.
A best selling, award-winning author, Sandra Owens lives in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Her family and friends often question her sanity, but have ceased being surprised by what she might get up to next. She’s jumped out of a plane, flown in an aerobatic plane while the pilot performed thrilling stunts, has flown Air Combat (two fighter planes dogfighting, pretending to shoot at each other with laser guns), and rode a Harley motorcycle for years. She regrets nothing.
Sandra is a member of Romance Writers of America’s Honor Roll and a 2013 Golden Heart® Finalist for her contemporary romance, CRAZY FOR HER. In addition to her contemporary romantic suspense novels, she writes Regency stories.
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